Andy O'Brien's first Newcastle goal was enough to ensure his side a share of the derby spoils at Sunderland in a pulsating encounter.

The central defender struck 13 minutes from time to snatch a point after Frenchman Patrice Carteron had given the Black Cats the lead.

It was just reward for performance in which United worked desperately hard to keep a determined Sunderland outfit at bay, and they were indebted to keeper Shay Given, who, despite seeing his side's run without a clean sheet extended to 29 games, pulled off two superb saves from Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips.

However, the Irishman also needed the help of a post to keep out Emerson Thome's 37th-minute header as the Tynesiders preserved their record of not having lost a derby league game on the banks of the Wear for 21 years.

Peter Reid's men will be disappointed not to have added a second win over the arch-rivals to the one they collected at St James' Park in November, but they at least turned in a performance which gave their fans plenty to cheer on an evening when their hopes of Europe took another potentially fatal blow.

Reid made four changes to the side which lost 1-0 at Coventry on Monday as Michael Gray, Patrice Carteron, Jody Craddock and Niall Quinn returned to the starting line-up at the expense of George McCartney, Darren Williams, Stanislav Varga and Kevin Kilbane.

Newcastle midfielder Rob Lee failed a fitness test on his knee, and his place in an otherwise unchanged side went to Chilean Clarence Acuna.

With main men Alan Shearer, Kieron Dyer and Lee all sidelined by injury, Newcastle arrived at the Stadium of Light knowing that they would have their work cut out to return home with something to show for their efforts.

But the travelling fans need not have worried in the early stages as the men in black and white came flying out of the blocks.

Gary Speed blazed a second-minute shot over after linking well with Carl Cort and Kevin Gallacher and Gallacher himself scuffed an effort wide after Nikos Dabizas had headed Wayne Quinn's deep free-kick back across goal.

But Sunderland gradually forced their way into the game, and Kevin Phillips fired a warning shot across the Magpies' bows on 18 minutes when he drilled a snapshot at Given after finding half a yard inside the penalty area.

Julio Arca tested the keeper with a well-struck side-footed effort two minutes later, but it took a fine save from Given to keep out Quinn's 21st-minute header from Arca's inviting cross.

The home side came within inches of taking the lead eight minutes before the break after Clarence Acuna was forced to concede a corner by blocking Quinn's goal-bound effort at the far post.

Arca's corner was returned to him on the left, and when he crossed for a second time, defender Emerson Thome rose to power a header against the upright before smashing the rebound well wide.

O'Brien miscued a clearance across the face of his own goal and Cort and Phillips both chanced their arm with long-range efforts as the half-time whistle approached, but both keepers stood firm.

Newcastle started the second-half well and Gallacher curled a left-foot shot wide on 50 minutes, but it was the home side which re-established the momentum thereafter.

Gavin McCann drilled a 20-yard effort at Given and the keeper produced another fine save to keep out Phillips 54th-minute header.

The Irishman did even better to tip away Phillips' shot on the turn seven minutes later, but the breakthrough finally arrived with 66 minutes gone.

Newcastle were on the attack when Thome mopped up and played the ball out to Hutchison on the right, and he charged forward before feeding Carteron, who slipped his shot under the advancing Given to open the scoring.

To their credit, United went straight on to the attack in the search for an equaliser, and Sorensen just got his fingertips to Cort's looping header to preserve his side's lead.

But the Wearsiders were not prepared to sit back and defend, and Phillips curled a shot just wide of Given's left post two minutes later.

Robson needed to do something radical, and he did it on 76 minutes when he sent Shola Ameobi, Daniel Cordone and Andy Griffin on for Gallacher, Acuna and Nolberto Solano, and a minute later, the visitors were back in the game.

Griffin was given time to cross from the right to the far post, and when Cort played the ball back in, O'Brien was on hand to slam it into the back of the net.

Speed could even have snatched it at the death when he fund space in the box, but he could not get any power into his right-foot effort and Sorensen was able to save comfortably.

Teams

Sunderland: Sorensen, Carteron, Gray, Craddock, Thome, Hutchison, McCann, Schwarz, Arca, Quinn, Phillips.

Subs Not Used: Macho, Thirlwell, Williams, Kilbane, Varga.

Booked: Schwarz, Phillips, Hutchison, Gray, Quinn.

Goals: Carteron 67.

Newcastle: Given, Barton, Quinn, Dabizas, O'Brien, Solano (Ameobi 77), Speed, Acuna (Griffin 76), Bassedas, Cort, Gallacher (Cordone 76).

Subs Not Used: Harper, Hughes.

Booked: Barton, Speed, Acuna, Bassedas.

Goals: O'Brien 78.

Att: 48,277

Ref: M Riley (Leeds).